The Department of Building Construction offers a series of courses around the subject of building construction. The teaching method employed is usually integrative, in association with the Design Studios. Subsequent to the delivery of theory in lectures and seminars, students are expected to apply their newly acquired knowledge to their own projects, thereby facilitating the deepening of their understanding.
For first semester students, the department offers a three day building construction crash course to review and assess basic knowledge in the field.
Building Construction A
The seminar covers the interaction of building components in construction, emphasizing the use of selected materials. It focuses on “monomateriality,” where a single material is used for the entire structure, including its volume, load-bearing elements, and exterior. It also addresses the stresses affecting the building and the relevant building physics requirements.
Building Construction B
This seminar explores the multifaceted role of building envelopes, examining them as complex material ecologies. Through a combination of lectures and research projects, students examine how they facades perform thermally and structurally, as well as how building materials evolve in response to various construction methods.
Building Construction C
This seminar explores current construction systems and techniques in the building industry, including their properties, liabilities, and applications in assembling large-scale structures. It confidently discusses and contextualizes typical structural problems using clear examples from existing buildings.
Building Construction Practice
The seminar provides knowledge about the practice-oriented processing of materials and technologies. This will be achieved through visits to production and workshops, as well as construction building sites. Students will attend short seminars with selected companies after completing specific basic grounding lectures. Contact with producers and processors is essential for gaining practical construction knowledge.
Building Construction Integration
The seminar supports Architectural Design 5 (pre-diploma project), allowing students to choose a construction topic that aligns with their interests and complements the studio’s design brief. It integrates technical considerations into the architectural design. Students are encouraged to take experimental approaches, starting with standard building methods and exploring unconventional constructions.
Circular Strategies
The seminar addresses issues of sustainable building, focusing on concepts of circular economy and circular design. Intelligent use of resources is essential for a future-oriented building culture. Topics such as reuse, adaptation, modularity and design for change and disassembly are addressed, with design and materialization conceptualized in mutual exchange.
Biodesign
The seminar Biodesign introduces biomimicry biomimetic or bio-inspired design methods at the intersection of biology research and architectural innovation. Strategies and principles derived from nature are presented and explored in theory and practice in a living lab setup, targeting the creation of experiments and prototypes. A specific theme may link to a current research project.
Research Methods in Architecture and Design
The lecture course introduces Master’s and PhD students to research logic in the built environment. It will cover various methods and perspectives on architectural research. Invited guest lecturers will present their projects, approaches, strategies and methods, serving as examples and case studies for conversations.
Plandarstellung
The lecture and practice course provides a comprehensive foundation of the plan presentation, building regulations, standards and construction project procedures. The plan execution (plan for submission) for the building authority is to be carried out afterwards.
Kolloquium für Master- und Doktoratsstudierende
The colloquium is designed to provide Master’s and Doctoral students with the necessary support and practical assistance to enable them to engage more intensively with questions of Building Construction. Appointments are be made by arrangement.